Mali: 2-year-old girl is country's first person infected with Ebola

Euronews

Mali has confirmed its first case of Ebola just one week after the World Health Organisation, (WHO), named the country most vulnerable to an outbreak.

A two-year-old girl has tested positive for the virus in the Malian city of Bamako after returning from Guinea, the country hardest hit by the outbreak.

Mali shares a border with Cote d’Ivoire which is also affected.

“The condition of the girl, as stated in the report is improving, thanks to the early detection,” explained Minister for Health and Public Hygiene Ousmane Kone. “And I want to make clear that a fever and illness connected to Ebola are not always fatal.”

The latest WHO figures say Ebola has now killed at least 4,800 people and affected nearly 10,000 across West Africa.

Nearly all cases and deaths have occured in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.